


Housewarming

by DeathStricken (douchebagmcpickle)



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, brief mentions of violence, just weed tho, magnus is a v good boy, mentions of drug use
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-05
Updated: 2017-11-04
Packaged: 2019-01-29 15:48:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12634221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/douchebagmcpickle/pseuds/DeathStricken
Summary: “Are you alright?” He asked.“I’ll be fine,” she muttered with a shrug, setting her own glass down. “Meeting people is hard. Though, I mean, silver linings, I did meet a handsome carpenter guy with, hang on, let me guess- a soft spot for animals?”Julia Waxmen is just trying to meet new people.Magnus Burnsides is just trying to find his friends' new house.





	Housewarming

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be a one shot. Welcome to my first of many taz fics!

**** Her feet slapped against the hard pavement as she ran, puddles from the previous night’s storm splashing dirty water up her legs, coating her heeled ankle boots in mud. She tripped slightly, her head spinning. She steadied herself on the brick wall, not stopping completely and scraping up the palm of her hand in the process. She kept running nonetheless. 

  


“Come back here you stupid bitch!” 

  


A ragged breath escaped the lips of Julia Waxmen as she ran, unable to feel the pain in her feet from her shoes, or the bleeding wound just above her hip. She could hear them behind her, shouting profanities at her but she didn't dare look back. 

  


It was dark, after midnight. There was no one around, no one that would hear her scream for help if they caught her. She took a sharp turn down another alley, her path illuminated by street lamps reflected in the small puddles on the ground. 

  


“You can't fucking run forever!” 

  


She let out a pained sound as the thought of her possible end ran through her head. Her vision was dancing with dark spots and she knew that they were right, she couldn't run forever. 

  


Another sharp right and at the end of the alley, she saw what must have been an angel. 

  


There was a man on a motorcycle, stopped at the end of the alley, helmet tucked under his arm, a phone pressed to his ear. He was saying something but she couldn't make it out over the pounding in her ears. This was her only chance and there was no way she wasn't going to take it. 

  


Mustering all the strength in her body, she picked up speed, her shoes slamming hard against the asphalt, and the closer she got, the clearer his voice was. 

  


“Oooh, New  _ Elfington,  _ I see my mistake-” 

  


She didn't even hesitate before swinging one leg over the side of the bike and grabbing the back of his flannel. 

  


“I need you to drive, now!” She cried. 

  


“What the fuck?”

  


\---

  


Whoever thought a housewarming party at midnight was a good idea was gonna get the shit knocked out of them.

  


Taako and his boyfriend, Kravitz, finally got a place together with Taako’s adopted son, Angus, and for whatever reason they decided that inviting everyone over for a party at midnight was a good idea. Now that he thought about it, that idea had Lup’s name all over it. 

  


“Make a left, in 200 meters.” 

  


Magnus took the next left, the hum of the motorcycle beneath him the only thing keeping him from screaming in frustration. 

  


“You have reached your destination; New Elvington.” 

  


Magnus groaned, pulling the bike into the parking lot of what was clearly a strip club and not his good friend’s new home. He'd only been to the place a few times to help them move in, but he hadn't been the one driving. Pulling off his helmet, he took out his phone and called Taako. 

  


“Maggie!” A familiar voice chimed after two rings. “Where are you? You're missing this great great party!” 

  


He pinched the bridge of his nose. Drunk already. Typical. 

  


“I can't find the place! I've rerouted my gps four times and it just keeps bringing me to a strip club!” He tucked his helmet under his arm as he looked up at the bright purple neon sign that read “New Elvington” with a nearly pornagraphic drawing of a lilac skinned women with long ears. He almost just considered going in and giving up on the party all together. 

  


“Make sure you have the right address in! 254 New Elfington!” Taako replied, shouting over whatever music was playing. He wondered if someone had called the cops.

  


“That's what I put in! 254 New Elvington!” 

  


“Elfington!” Taako shouted. 

  


“That's what I said!” Magnus shouted back. 

  


“No, Elfington. With an ‘f’!” 

  


It took him a second, but his error finally clicked into place. 

  


“Oooh, New  _ Elfington,  _ I see my mistake-”

  


Before he could finish his thought, he felt the bike move beneath him and a weak grip on his shirt. And then a woman's voice, shouting something at him. 

  


“What the fuck?” He said in surprise. 

  


“What's going on?” Taako shouted in his ear. 

  


“I'm begging you, you need to go now!” The women cried, her voice desperate. It was dark, but even in the faint purple glow New Elfington’s sign, he could see her lower lip was split open and there was blood smeared beneath her nose. 

  


“I'll call you back,” Magnus said, hanging up the phone. “Where do you need to go? Do you want to go to the hospital?” He asked, trying to sound as calm as possible. 

  


“I don't care,” she said frantically, her hands gripping his shirt tighter. “Just-” 

  


“Where are you, you fucking whore?” An angry voice yelled from down the alley. 

  


Magnus saw the fear flash across her eyes as they met his and without hesitation, he pushed his helmet into her hands and fired up the bike. 

  


“Hold on!” He yelled and took off down the street, feeling her arms wrap around him, the hard plastic of the helmet on her head pressing into his back. Her body was shaking against him, no doubt the adrenaline running through her. 

  


They drove in silence for only a few minutes before he felt the hands on his chest stop trembling. As they rolled to a stop at a light, he turned his head to talk to her. 

  


“Hospital, yes or no?” He asked. 

  


“No,” she replied, and he could hear the exhaustion in her voice. 

  


“Where do you want me to take you?” 

  


“Just take me wherever you're going, I'll get someone to pick me up.” 

  


“I'm going to a party.” 

  


“Club or house?” 

  


“House.”

  


“That's fine.” 

  


Magnus nodded, and as he turned back to the road, the light turned green and he took off. Punching the new location into his phone, he found New Elfington with no issue. There were a few cars parked outside the house. He could hear soft indie music flowing out of the open windows as he parked the bike in the driveway. 

  


“Doesn't look like much of a party,” the woman said as she climbed off the bike, pulling the helmet off her head, setting it on the seat of the bike. Thick dark curls spilled out over her shoulders, and for the first time Magnus really got a look at her. 

  


Bright blue eyes lined with crusty mascara popped against her tan skin, smattered with freckles and blood. She had a wide nose, nostrils rimmed with dried blood, which had at one point dripped down her puffy lips before being smeared across her cheek. Her lower lip was split, though not bleeding. 

  


A black jean jacket with pink roses embroidered on the shoulders hung a few sizes too big off of her frame. The shoulder was ripped open, showing a gash in her shoulder. She had on a band shirt that Magnus couldn't read in the dark, and a pair of jean shorts over fishnet tights. The tights were torn down her inner thighs. Her calves and what had to be 5 inch heels at least were covered with splatters of muck. 

  


“What?” She asked after a moment, self-consciously pulling her jacket around her. 

  


“Oh, I- uh, nothing, no, uh-” he stammered, feeling his face go hot. “Uh, let’s go inside.” 

  


The girl said nothing, but followed him to the door. Magnus knocked on the door, taking a brief moment to admire the wood. What was that, oak? Cedar perhaps? Before he could decide, the door flung open, revealing a tall, thin man that Magnus had come to know as Taako. 

  


“Maggie!” He said with a grin, throwing his arms around Magnus’ neck. “We just put Ango to bed so things are starting to sloooow down, if you know what I mean.” He laughed, and with the weed odour wafting out of the open door, Magnus did know what he meant. 

  


Taako stepped back after a moment, and as he opened his mouth to say something, his eyes fell upon the girl. “Oh,” he said. “You brought a guest.” He didn't sound annoyed, just merely making an observation. 

  


“Uh, yeah,” Magnus said, glancing over at the girl beside him, who was looking more uncomfortable by the minute. “This is, uh…” 

  


“Julia,” she finished for him. 

  


“Right, Julia,” he echoed with a small nod.

  


Taako seemed to assess this for a moment before shrugging and moving back into the house. “Whatever homie, the more the merrier!” He disappeared as soon as Magnus and Julia entered the home, leaving the two of them in the foyer. 

  


Magnus brought the girl- Julia- into the first floor bathroom. He was sure there was a first aid kit in there, probably at Angus’ insistence. Magnus rummaged through the drawers and cupboards until, low and behold, there was a first aid kit, as well as a washcloth, which he promptly wet with warm water. 

  


When he turned, Julia had already sat herself down on the closed seat of the toilet, and was making work of unlacing her boots. She quickly got them off, leaving her feet bare save for the fishnets. 

  


“Do you mind if I, uh…” Magnus asked, gesturing to the washcloth in his hand. She nodded, drawing her legs up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. 

  


Magnus leaned over, using a gentle hand to tilt her face towards him. As softly as he could manage, he wiped the blood off her face, making sure to be careful around her lip. 

  


“You're really good at that,” she said in a quiet voice. 

  


“I've dealt with my fair share of face injuries,” he replied with a shrug. “Are you hurt anywhere else?” 

  


She looked a little reluctant, but she shrugged off her jean jacket and dropped it to the floor. In the light now, Magnus could see that she was wearing a Flaming Lips tshirt, which had been cut so it was sleeveless and the armholes dipped down halfway down her torso. There was a gash in her arm, and he could see a dark red patch above her hip where her shirt and jeans absorbed blood from another injury. 

  


The arm injury didn't seem too bad, so he made quick work of disinfecting it- he apologized profusely when she hissed- and wrapped it up in a clean bandage. 

  


“Can I see the one on your hip?” He asked. She seemed to has some sort of internal debate before she nodded and stood, untucking her shirt from her shorts and pulling the side down slightly so he could see the wound. 

  


Now, he was no doctor, but that was definitely a deep wound. 

  


“Holy shit, were you stabbed or something?” He asked, glancing up at her, then back down to the wound. “I can wrap it for now, but you might need to get stitches.” 

  


She nodded and held her shorts down as Magnus bandaged up the wound. It had stopped bleeding for the most part which was good, but it seemed like a good idea to get stitches. When he finished, he handed her the face cloth to clean up her makeup if she wanted. She did. 

  


“Y’know, it's pretty late,” he said. “Maybe you should just crash here tonight. I can take you home in the morning.” She seemed to go tense at that, but refused to let it show on her face. “You can have your own room, and it'll have a lock on it. Plus, everyone here is gonna crash in like, 10 minutes and they won't wake up until noon. We do this all the time.” 

  


Julia continued to wipe away her makeup, but something about her expression said that she was thinking about it. Eventually, she dropped the cloth into the sink and turned back towards him. A small part of Magnus’ mind remarked about how she was even prettier without makeup on. She had a small scar on her upper lip he hadn't noticed before. 

  


“I’ll know where you are?” She asked. He nodded. “Alright,” she said after a moment. “I’ll stay.”

  


\---

  


Magnus dug through Taako’s closet, pulling out a large yellow tshirt with “I had a great time at Camp Goodfriend!” printed across the front in red print, as well as a pair of sleeping shorts. He tossed them to Julia, who was sitting uncomfortably on the bed, her jacket folded over her arm. 

  


“Are you sure I can wear these?” She asked, looking at the tshirt in her hands. 

  


“The shirt is mine that Taako stole from me. And the shorts are his sisters and I know that she wouldn't give a shit, so I'd say you're fine.” She nodded at that. “Come on, I'll show you to your room.” 

  


He'd only been there twice before, but he still knew the layout of the place pretty well. After all, he  _ was _ the one who moved most of the furniture into it. It was big, and somehow both modern and home-y. And there were a million bedrooms. 

  


“Here we go,” he said, stopping in front of one of the rooms. “I'll be in that one,” he said, pointing to the one directly beside hers. “I'll stay sober tonight so if you need anything just knock. I'm gonna go visit with my friends before they all pass out but I'm gonna turn in in a few.” She nodded and he turned to walk off. 

  


“Uh, Maggie?” She started, and he turned, quirking an eyebrow. “Goodnight.” 

  


He smiled softly. “Goodnight, Julia.” 

  


\---

  


Magnus went to bed at 1:15. He kept true on his promise to stay sober by refusing every time a joint got passed in his direction. While part of him wished to partake in the party drug, he was definitely enjoying seeing the group from a sober perspective for once. 

  


Taako was affectionate with literally everyone, the exact opposite of his typical emotionally distant demeanor. Kravitz turned carefree and happy. It was good to see him let loose a little bit. Lup and Barry seemed to lose the idea of modesty, and spend half the night making out on the couch. Magnus could’ve gone without seeing all that tongue. 

  


His favourite part of the evening was when Lucretia and Merle laid down on the floor with their heads beside each other, holding their hands straight up, flexing their fingers. They were muttering quietly to each other. Sometimes Merle would say something and Lucretia would laugh for an entire straight minute. There was one point where Merle and Lup got into an interpretive dance competition that Kravitz somehow won, and then one by one, the group started to crash. 

  


Lup and Barry fell asleep on the couch, Lup curled up in Barry’s lap. Taako followed quickly after and with Magnus’ help, Kravitz carried him to bed. Merle fell asleep face-down in the middle of the floor, leaving just Lucretia as the lone survivor. She tossed a blanket over couple on the couch and Merle, then crawled into Magnus’ lap, laying her head on his shoulder. She recounted some of the stuff she'd seen while travelling, occasionally bursting into uncontrollable giggles in the middle of her story. Magnus smiled fondly as he listened to his friend laugh. They sat like that for a while, just talking until she eventually fell asleep as well. 

  


Magnus easily scooped her up and headed down the hallway to put her to bed. He brought her into one of the empty bedrooms and put her down in the bed, pulling the covers over her. She caught his hand as he was leaving and pressed a soft kiss to his knuckles, murmuring a quiet “love you, Mags,” before drifting off again. 

  


He headed out, closing the door behind him and moving into his own room. He stripped off his shirt and crawled into the bed, letting out a soft sigh of relief as he relaxed into the mattress. These nights with his dumb friends were always the most eventful and this one was no exception. 

  


It was around 1:40 when there was a soft knock at his door. With a groan, he pulled himself out of bed, scooped his shirt off the floor and pulled it over his head. His feet shuffled across the room as he rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hand and opened the door. 

  


Julia was standing there. She was drowning in his shirt, and it was hanging off one shoulder. The bottom hem was almost at her knees. 

  


“I'm really sorry,” she said quietly. “I can't sleep.” 

  


Magnus nodded and stepped out of the room. She gave him a quizzical look but he just yawned and motioned for her to follow him as he walked down the hallway. There was a beat before he heard her jog up beside him and the pair of them stepped into the kitchen. Magnus pulled out a chair at the kitchen island and Julia sat down. He didn't sit down beside her. 

  


“Is he alright?” She asked, looking over at Merle on the floor in the middle of the living room, his face buried in the carpet and a crocheted blanket tossed over him. 

  


“He’ll be fine. That's a step up for him, actually. He usually ends up on the table, the toilet, or outside.” 

  


Magnus made work filling up a kettle with water and turning it on. He pulled two glasses out of the cupboard, as well as a box of tea- it took a few minutes to find the one he was looking for, as Kravitz had probably every imaginable blend of tea. They didn't speak while he waited for the kettle to boil, and somehow, it wasn't uncomfortable. 

  


Eventually, the kettle beeped and Magnus filled up two mugs with water, and dropped a tea bag in each. He let them steep for a moment before removing the tea bags, adding a splash of milk to each and then he turned a bottle of honey over his and squeezed in the more honey than was probably legal. 

  


Magnus sat down across from Julia at the island and set the mug down in front of her. She wrapped her hands around it and brought it up her nose, giving a tentative sniff. “Is this peppermint?” She asked. She smiled when he nodded. “It's my favourite.” 

  


“Mine too,” he said, clinking his glass against hers. “It helps me sleep.” She nodded, and they fell into another comfortable silence as they sipped on their tea.

  


“It was, uh… it was rosewood. By the way,” Julia said after a few minutes.

  


“What?”

  


Julia looked down into her mug. She looked sheepish almost. “The front door. I saw you looking at it when we came in. It's rosewood.” 

  


He blinked a few times. He'd completely forgotten about the door. “Rosewood, of course… Are you some kind of tree expert?” He asked with a laugh, then lowered his voice. “Wait, are you some kind of tree expert?” 

  


She laughed softly, bringing her mug back up to her nose. As she stared down at the liquid in the mug, Magnus could see the shadow of her long lashes on her cheeks. “I'm not a tree expert. My dad’s a carpenter. I was basically born with a hammer in my hand.”

  


“Really?” He asked, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise. “I never would have guessed that.” 

  


“You thought hooker, right?” Her voice was innocent, but there was a mischievous undertone in her voice. Magnus felt himself go red. She stopped him before he could try and defend himself. “I'm kidding. But seriously, I don't usually, y’know. Fishnets and hooker heels.” 

  


Magnus frowned, setting his mug down and turning to look at her properly. She painted a beautiful silhouette, eyes cast down, lips pressed against her mug. Her hair was haphazardly pulled up in a bun with an elastic band, but a few stray curls hung around her face. 

  


“Are you alright?” He asked. 

  


“I’ll be fine,” she muttered with a shrug, setting her own glass down. “Meeting people is hard. Though, I mean, silver linings, I did meet a handsome carpenter guy with, hang on, let me guess- a soft spot for animals?” 

  


A smile crept its way into Magnus’ face. Impressive. “Wow. I have so many questions. Starting with how did you know I was a carpenter?” 

  


Julia rolled her eyes. “Oh please, no other person is  _ that  _ interested in front doors. Plus, I have eyes. You're either a carpenter or a bodybuilder.” 

  


Magnus laughed at that. “Fair enough. And the animals?” 

  


“You've got eyes like a dog. Or maybe a bear. Kind, adorable, but could tear you to fuckin’ shreads.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Yell at me about these dumb nerds on my tumblr! gohomeandprayforsunrise.tumblr.com


End file.
